10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2023

This time, we are back in Trinidad and have relocated to a picturesque lodge in the very heart of the island. Swifts are aplenty, one is likely to see Gray-rumped , Band-rumped , or Short-tailed Swift hunting insects each morning. The thick melodies of Cocoa and Spectacled Thrushes tend to be the first sounds under the lightening sky.

Trinidad 229

Trinidad Barn Owls Owls Reptiles 229

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

Now that I have driven that to a state of relative completion and I am compelled to return to the forest, I learned that the government here has re-opened the hunting season. After experiencing the ebb and flow of energies over the years with the coming and going of the annual five month long hunting season, the strain is plain for me to see.

Trinidad 260

Trinidad Hunting Venezuela Woodpeckers 260

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2022

As it got a little brighter, the terns took flight and began hunting in the shallows. Observing them hunt was almost as thrilling as being on the mission myself. On the sand at the northernmost end of the bay there was a small gathering of about a dozen Laughing Gulls and a few Royal Terns.

Birds 208

Birds Fish Trinidad Hunting 208

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2023

Can’t go wrong with large macaws: Blue-and-yellow Macaw There were more than a couple Sulphury Flycatchers hunting among the vegetation – it was probably a decade since I had last laid eyes on one. The level of diversity in such a small space was unbelievable. I had never before seen a Limpkin do this.

Farming 219

Farming Guyana Birds South America 219

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

This was actually the place where the late Richard ffrench spent much of his time as a music teacher, amassing countless observations of birds that would later form the basis of one of the essential birding guides for Trinidad and Tobago. Carib Grackle. The post Post Apocalyptic Steampunk Birding appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

Trinidad 203

Trinidad Birds Parrots Falcons 203

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2013

If you are a birder and you visit Trinidad and Tobago you must go to the Caroni Swamp. If you visit Trinidad and Tobago you must visit Caroni Swamp. Hunting of Scarlet Ibis for their feathers as well as drainage of portions of the swamp for rice harvesting was, at one time, putting what is now a major tourist destination in jeopardy.

Trinidad 188

Trinidad Spain Cooking Hunting 188

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2022

Anyway, onto the business of last Friday: a very short drive off of the main north-south highway on Trinidad after heavy rains over the previous few days led us to several Scarlet Ibis that were feeding along the near flooded roadway. A pair of Greater Ani hunted tirelessly to feed two voracious nestlings.

Trinidad 162

Trinidad Hunting Rights Birds 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2022

I’ve been leading a small but faithful group on Trinidad for several years to count birds within a livestock farm that is generally restricted to the public (you can read about some of those shenanigans here ); this was the first time I was to embark on a CBC on the smaller island of Tobago.

Falcons 238

Falcons Trinidad Ducks Groups 238

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

I’ve seen them many times on Trinidad but they are much rarer on Tobago. This time, I was able to spend about ten minutes with this bird, closely observing it as it hunted from branch to branch, from tree to tree. On the same morning after we saw the Bobolinks , I attempted to have breakfast parked up in another marsh.

Trinidad 231

Trinidad Argentina South America Bears 231

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

The sky cracked open as we ascended into the modest hills of Trinidad’s Northern Range. Many friends and guests enjoyed seeing this particular bird soar, hunt, or even sit for hours in the valley. Getting a visual of Trinidad’s largest hummingbird wasn’t going to be easy in the darkness of the undergrowth, though.

Trinidad 162

Trinidad Eagles Bears Litter 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2021

Last weekend we headed into the mountains of northern Trinidad – the concept of mountains is surely a relative one, although it is the highest conglomeration of hills in the country (and the northernmost outcrop of the Andes) the Northern Range never crosses 1,000m above sea level.

Woodpeckers 245

Woodpeckers Trinidad Battery Hunting 245

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

Here, I was now ready to focus my attention to the mixed flock of Lesser Antillean Swifts and Short-tailed Swifts that had been hunting all around us, as well as the ever-attendant Antillean Crested Hummingbird and Bananaquit. The Bananaquits here are sooty through and through; or as my wife terms them, overripe.

Grenada 130

Grenada Parrots Trinidad 2010 130

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2020

These intrepid travelers have captivated the very essence of my being, years ago when I used to work on an industrial port on the west coast of Trinidad I noticed each year these alien looking birds would appear, stick around for a while and then depart. Last weekend I wasn’t on the hunt for any species in particular though.

Trinidad 179

Trinidad South America Blackbirds Industry 179

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2020

Drifting slower and looking closer, we observed a tiny Malachite Kingfisher hunting in the sheltered shallows. A familiar Striated Heron elicited the opposite reaction altogether as they are the default small heron here in Trinidad. This tiny kingfisher thoroughly excited everyone on board. Malachite Kingfisher.

Kenya 155

Kenya Fish Trinidad Eagles 155

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2020

The Trinidad Motmot is the only endemic species on the island. I refrain from placing a timestamp on the couple hundred yards of gentle descent into Cuffie River, as it is highly likely one may be distracted by one or two Rufous-tailed Jacamars sallying into the roadway, or a Trinidad Motmot observing the observer from the adjacent bamboo.

Trinidad 167

Trinidad Parrots Species Hunting 167

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

I had been tracking a Yellow-billed Cuckoo as it fed in the canopy when Joanne (my life and birding partner) drew my attention to an exceptionally dark heron hunting in a small waterway. Although much has happened from then to now, the memory of a bird we observed on that day has remained with me. I revisited my oiled theory.

Hunting 130

Hunting Research Birds Trinidad 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

At night, we keep our eyes out for the passage of the neighborhood Barn Owl , oftentimes a Tropical Screech-Owl would hunt insects from a low perch on our almond tree. Sometimes this Merlin ‘s mate comes to check him out, but for most of the northern winter he hunts solo.

Opossums 264

Opossums Barn Owls Hunting Reptiles 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

Scores of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks circled overhead, these vocal ducks are often hunted illegally here so it was refreshing to see so many. We had no idea if the nighthawks would hunker down or flee. Arriving before sunrise, we could already see the thick clouds on the horizon. Farmers keep their livestock in this wetland also.

Livestock 212

Livestock Ducks ALA illegal 212